Prince Alfred College
IB Theory of Knowledge Oral Presentation Guide
R.Bruford, 2008
What is the Oral Presentation? The Oral Presentation is a key component of the ToK course. It is worth 20 of the 60 points available for the completion of the course. The TOK presentation requires students to identify and explore the knowledge issues raised by a knowledge claim from a substantive real-life situation that is of interest to them. Aided by their teachers (see below), students can select the situation they will tackle from a more limited domain of personal, school, or community relevance, or from a wider one of national, international or global scope. Knowledge Claims, which are those statements, arguments and beliefs that are often presented as being a 'fact' and true, valid and well grounded. Knowledge Issues refers to all of the 'doubts' raised by the critical investigation of the validity of the arguments and methods used to justify a Knowledge Claim in its final presentation as a 'fact'.
It is important that the situation that is selected is sufficiently circumscribed, so as to allow an effective treatment of knowledge issues. For this reason, it is wise to avoid topics so unfamiliar to the class that a great deal of explanation is needed before the underlying knowledge issues can be appreciated and explored.
The Oral Presentation at PAC? Students have two opportunities to undertake their Oral Presentation. The best mark of the two presentations will be used to contribute, along with the essay, to the overall mark for Theory of Knowledge.
R.Bruford, 2008
The structure and guidelines for the Oral Presentation The oral presentation may take many forms, such as lectures, skits, simulations, games, dramatized readings, interviews or debates. Students may use supporting material such as videos, MS PowerPoint presentations, overhead projections, posters, questionnaires, recordings of songs or interviews, costumes, or props. Under no circumstances, however, should the presentation be simply an essay read aloud to the class. Each presentation will have two stages: • an introduction, briefly describing the real-life situation and linking it to one or more relevant knowledge issue • a treatment of the knowledge issue(s) that explores their nature and responses to them, and shows how these relate to the chosen situation. A good presentation will demonstrate the presenter ʼs personal involvement in the topic and show both why the topic is important and how it relates to other areas (see assessment criteria for more details). Approximately 10 minutes per presenter should be allowed, up to a maximum in most cases of 30 minutes per group. Presentations should be scheduled to allow time for class discussion afterwards. You can present individually or in a group (max four people). Interaction and audience participation are allowed during the presentation, not just in follow-up discussion, but there must be an identifiable substantial input from the presenter(s) that is assessable. Before the presentation, the individual or group must give the teacher a copy of the presentation planning document. The document is not to be handed out to the audience.
R.Bruford, 2008
Possible Presentation Topics On the following two pages are examples of knowledge issues that can be explored. Don ʼt forget that a knowledge claim must be identified in relation to the issue explored that gives it a real-life situation and context. * Is it reasonable to believe in God? * Are American civil rights and due process being threatened currently? * How should we live? What is the good life? (Great for role-playing) * Should gay marriage be allowed? * How similar are we to animals? * Should factory-styled agricultural practices be banned? * How free are we to choose our actions and our characters? * Does life have a purpose? * What is art? How can we know which art is good? * What is the connection between the mind and body? * Does madness exist and how can it be determined? * Is the death sentence just? * Should euthanasia be a crime? * Do dreams mean? * Should animal testing be allowed? * What is artificial intelligence? * Is homosexuality a choice? * Is there any evidence for an afterlife/reincarnation? * Can atheism be a moral choice? * Does the soul exist? * What is the evidence for extraterrestrial life? * Are all religions one? * What problems surface when translating and attaching truth to various religious texts? * What are the major differences between the East and the West? * Have women made significant social, economic, and legal gains in the last century? * What should be the limits of science? * Which form of government is best? * How far should genetic engineering go? * Are there real differences between the sexes? * Can dance communicate? (Consider dance performance as a visual)
R.Bruford, 2008
ToK Presentation topics continued... * Do creationism and evolution clash? * Are standardized tests accurate predictors of intelligence and success in college? * Does affirmative action help or harm? * What is real in the world of virtual reality? * What kind of knowledge is Math? * Does it matter whether or not our perception of reality is true? * Schizophrenia - biolocial or psychological? * Is it possible to think without language? * Human Cloning and genetic manipulation - the ethical concerns raised * Does morality necessarily involve action, or can it involve thoughts and attitude alone? * How do we know whether we are acting in a good or moral way? * Can man know anything about his past or his future? * Is history a science? * Is there an obligation on an individual to be politically aware, or even politically active? * Without a knowledge of the past, would we have any knowledge at all? * Should we believe in aliens? * Do mobile phones cause brain tumours? * Do violent video games or movies cause violent behaviour? * Should censorship exist? * Does giving your money away to charity make you happy? * Is Google's Street View an invasion of privacy? * Does mental exercise stave off Alzheimer's disease? * Is passenger profiling a logical response to aviation security threats? * Will daily doses of Vitamin C really help prevent a cold? * Are nuclear reactors as bad for us as environmentalists would have us believe? * Do science magazines undermine themselves by publishing advertisements for pseudoscience? * Is ethanol nature's answer to the fuel crisis? * Is religion necessary to have a good moral centre?
R.Bruford, 2008
Assessment Criteria The Oral Presentation is marked from an available total of 20 marks. Each of the sections A to D is worth 5 marks.
A. Identification of a Knowledge Issue * Did the presentation identify a relevant knowledge issue involved, implicit or embedded in a real-life situation?
Achievement
Descriptor
Level 0 1-2
Level 1 was not achieved. The presentation referred to a knowledge issue but it was irrelevant to the real-life situation under consideration.
3-4
The presentation identified a knowledge issue that was in some ways relevant to the real-life situation under consideration.
5
The presentation identified a knowledge issue that was clearly relevant to the real-life situation under consideration.
B. Treatment of Knowledge Issues * Did the presentation show a good understanding of knowledge issues, in the context of the real-life situation?
Achievement
Descriptor
Level 0
Level 1 was not achieved.
1-2
The presentation showed some understanding of knowledge issues.
3-4
The presentation showed an adequate understanding of knowledge issues.
5
The presentation showed a good understanding of knowledge issues.
R.Bruford, 2008
C. Knower's Perspective * Did the presentation, particularly in the use of arguments and examples, show an individual approach and demonstrate the significance of the topic?
Achievement
Descriptor
Level 0
Level 1 was not achieved.
1-2
The presentation, in its use of arguments and examples or otherwise, showed limited personal involvement and did not demonstrate the significance of the topic.
3-4
The presentation, in its use of arguments and examples or otherwise, showed some personal involvement and adequately demonstrated the significance of the topic.
5
The presentation, in its distinctively personal use of arguments and examples or otherwise, showed clear personal involvement and fully demonstrated the significance of the topic.
D. Connections * Did the presentation give a balanced account of how the topic could be approached from different perspectives? * Did the presentation show how the positions taken on the knowledge issues would have implications in related areas? * In awarding the higher achievement levels, the emphasis should be more on the quality of the consideration of connections than on the quantity of connections mentioned.
Achievement
Descriptor
Level 0
Level 1 was not achieved.
1-2
The presentation explored at least two different perspectives to some extent.
3-4
The presentation gave a satisfactory account of how the question could be approached from different perspectives, and began to explore their similarities and differences.
5
The presentation gave a clear account of how the question could be approached from different perspectives and considered their implications in related areas.
R.Bruford, 2008
Hints and Tips Understanding Knowledge Claims Knowledge claims are something that we think that we know, ie: A. Believe to be true B. Want to evaluate to determine the level of validity The aim of TOK is to ask the question:
How do we know what we know? Possible ways of justifying knowledge claims:
intuition perception evidence reasoning
memory authority group consensus devine revelation common wisdom education
R.Bruford, 2008
Understanding Knowledge Issues
“knowledge issues are questions that directly refer to our understanding of the world, ourselves and others in connection with the aquisition, search for, production, shaping and acceptance of knowledge” Source: TOK Guide Page 9
But what does this mean? •Knowledge issues are the aims and objectives of the course demonstrated in a practical way. •They are not necessarily negative aspects of the information in question. •They are usually framed as questions but can be statements. •They are based on the knowledge claims and are used to generate analysis and implications.
R.Bruford, 2008
But, how do I know what a knowledge issue looks like? •The limitations of this definition / argument are..... •If we define it differently (from another cultural / linguistic/ experiential) perspective then...... •The logical fallacy in this perspective is.... •The assumptions in this are problematic because.....
In other words, you identify a knowledge claim and find knowledge issues with it that may include the following:
•Limitations •Assumptions •Bias •Alternative cultural & linguistic perspectives •Problems with justification or proof •Different definitions
•Problems of logic •Alternative sides to an issue •Differences in perception •Relational questions •Philosophies or theories
R.Bruford, 2008
R.Bruford, 2008
R.Bruford, 2008
